The Teenaged Years of Kurosaki Karin
by Charlotte-san
Summary: Karin Kurosaki has known since ago 11 that her brother was a Shinigami. What happens when Soul Society discovers her? Simple, they ask for her help. Told with stories from age 13, 15, and 19 we see Karin grow up and the dynamics of her relationship with her first Shinigami friend change. Fairly canon. Now updated and edited!
1. Karin's Point of View

I stifled a yawn and flicked my black hair out of my gray eyes as I double-checked the cast of a ten-year-old boy's fingers and wrist. His mother had come knocking on my door at midnight, which was half an hour ago I noted with a twinge of jealousy at my peacefully sleeping sister. The boy had a few broken fingers that he had gotten when a few school bullies had started threatening his younger sister. It was easy to set the broken bones, but I wanted to be certain that in my sleepy state I hadn't done anything wrong.

"I'm really sorry for coming in so late, but we live just down the street and the hospital is quite a ways away. I can pay double what you normally charge. The Kurosaki clinic has always been here to help us. Thank you Karin," The mother said, but from the looks of the bags under her eyes, and the fairly ratty look of her pajamas, I could tell she really couldn't afford it. I walked over to the cabinet with the jar of suckers to give one to the young boy.

"It's no problem at all, we're here to help anyone in need. It was a simple break so don't worry too much about paying. If you leave your number with me, my dad can call you when he gets back from helping at the hospital," I forced a smile in reassurance as the woman put the now-sleeping boy's coat on. He was clutching his sucker to his chest as he slept, and I couldn't help but be reminded of my brother Ichigo at that age, always watching out for Yuzu and I. I voiced my thoughts aloud, "He reminds me of Ichigo when he was that old. There was this kid who was in the year above Yuzu and me, and every time we walked to school he would push us around a little with his friends. Usually I was able to handle it just fine, and I'd punch him back, but one day he got the better of me and let's just say that I was more black and blue than normal when I got home. Ichigo walked with us the next day and this time it was the boy who went home black and blue."

"I remember your father yelling at Ichigo about that, we could hear him all the way down the street. How is Ichigo nowadays?" The woman had succeeded in getting the coat on the boy and was now giving me her undivided attention. Great. I stiffened a little at the seemingly harmless question about Ichigo.

_Ever since the Winter War eight years ago, Ichigo hasn't really been around. Well, I should say that ever since the whole problem with that lost substitute has gotten cleared up he hasn't been around much. He finished high school then told everyone who didn't know about the Soul Society he was going to college in Tokyo, and then most likely working there. In reality he's been there most of the time, but he's able to come back once or twice a month to visit for a few days. It must be something he worked out with Head Captain Yamamoto_

"He's going to college in Tokyo, and he already has a job lined up at one of the hospitals there. We get to see him quite a bit, but he's been really busy between college and residency at the hospital," A sharp pain flashed in my head, and I winced noting the large disturbance in the spiritual energy in the town. _That has to be a Vasto Lord if not a rogue Arrancar, my soul pager should go off-_ the ringing that sounded through the mostly empty clinic seemingly read my thoughts, "I need to take this call, just write your phone number on the pad next to you on the counter." I told her and gestured to the notepad sitting there with a pen on it.

I picked up my soul pager, which thankfully looked like a cell phone, and looked for where the Hollow was. It was on the other side of town and I felt the slight rise in pressure as a Shinigami got to it. The spiritual pressure seemed very familiar, one that I recognized but couldn't quite place. Then I let go of my tightly-controlled reiatsu to let whichever Shinigami who was fighting it know I was getting ready to help, "I have to go and help someone on the other side of town, and I hate to rush… you." I turned around and trailed off as I noticed the woman had left already.

As I gathered all the supplies I would possibly need to heal any wounds the Shinigami might get, my mind drifted back to how I got into this kind of a deal.

* * *

_Age Thirteen…_

I was only thirteen at the time, but already I had figured out about the world of the Shinigami from a certain white-haired boy captain. At the time, I had been buying as many anti-ghost supplies from Urahara as he claimed he could safely sell to me. It was about one month after something I'd come to learn in the near future as a fight against a team called Xcution during which Ichigo had regained his Shinigami powers.

"One moment Karin, I have to keep those supplies in the back as you know so my other customers won't ask questions," Urahara said as he grinned mischievously and went to his back storage rooms. I bit back a retort about his lack of customers since I couldn't afford to not have the supplies seeing as how I really didn't want to worry about ghosts popping up while I was showering or changing, so I kept quiet. There was the sound of an opening door and footsteps behind me, and three black butterflies flew past my head.

"Karin, what are you doing here?" I heard Ichigo ask behind me. I spun around and was stunned when I saw Ichigo in his Shinigami uniform. He obviously hadn't expected to see me there as he was still in denial of me knowing anything about Shinigami. Of course I had learned from my friend- or at least I considered him a friend even though it had been two years since I'd seen him- Squad Ten Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya about Shinigami almost two years ago.

"I'm here for anti-ghost supplies, where were you at?" I asked and almost smirked at the way he squirmed. I would have enjoyed the moment more if I wasn't so mad at Ichigo for not just admitting to me about what he was. He thought he was doing me a favor by not telling my, but the truth was, those monsters keep attacking me and my friends and not knowing how to effectively kill them was only endangering me further.

"I was, um, uh-well Karin, you can see me?" Ichigo stuttered and I rolled my eyes. I was about to reply when another voice spoke before me.

"Who is this Kurosaki?" A tall man with black hair and white hair pieces that notified he was of noble status asked and looked at me. He wore the same white coat as Toshiro, which must mean he was a Captain with the Shinigami. Although he was handsome (But way too old for me and my preferences) he had cold features that probably could have frozen weaker-willed humans. Another man that I had seen with my brother before also came out from the doorway, the man with red spikey hair, bandana and weird tribal tattoos.

"I'm Karin Kurosaki, who wants to know?" I said crossing my arms and jutting my chin defiantly. The red-headed man and my brother chuckled but shut up at a look from the black-haired one.

"I am Byakuya Kuchiki, head of the Kuchiki clan and the Captain of the Sixth Squad of the Gotei Thirteen. This is my lieutenant Renji Abarai. In the future I expect you to address my with more respect," the man said and I forced myself not to roll my eyes, "As for you Kurosaki-"

"Which one?" I asked and Captain Kuchiki glanced my way with slight disdain. While I normally tried to respect those who are older than me, or at least ones with authority, this guy's holier-than-thou attitude was getting on my nerves.

"Ichigo, I am bringing her to the Seireitei immediately. You know what we were discussing before we left, and she may be able to help with a decision. Besides," Captain Kuchiki looked at Urahara who was reentering with my order, "She must be getting powerful is she's buying anti-ghost supplies of the highest potency. From the force of her reiatsu, she seems to be leaking just as much as you were when I first came across you. She needs to be taught to control herself, and I don't trust the methods of Urahara one bit. Abarai, you will help Ichigo with Hollow elimination and konso in Karakura while I bring the other Kurosaki to the Seireitei. Go." Renji and Ichigo both seemed reluctant to go, but Renji left quickly after sparing me a knowingly this-is-gonna-suck look. But I mean he left _really_ quickly; he was here one moment and gone the next.

"Karin," Ichigo said, and motioned me over, "I'll explain everything later, okay?" He looked so sincere, but I was still pissed at him. Although I understood where he was coming from, I did it with Yuzu often enough, he had been keeping the truth from me for almost two years.

"You bet you will!" I snorted and turned back towards Captain Kuchiki, "Let's go then." Without waiting for me, Captain Kuchiki walked through the doors and into a long dark tunnel. I jogged after him and had to keep a brisk pace since his strides were much larger. After a few moments of silence I finally had to ask all of the questions I had inside of me.

"How long has Ichigo been a Shinigami, not including the time he lost his powers? How long has he even _had_ his powers back? Where are we going?" I saw the corner of Captain Kuchiki's mouth twitch first upward then downward, and his eyebrow twitched. He never answered any of my questions as we kept our same quick pace through the tunnel, but he seemed slightly annoyed with the all the talking I was doing.

Eventually we reached the end of the tunnel and came out into bright sunshine. Once my eyes adjusted to the light I gasped in surprise. The place we had come out didn't look like anything I'd ever seen before, except for maybe in history books. All of the buildings and streets looked like the old-fashioned ones I had seen on a school trip to a town that was modeled to look like an old village. _I liked that trip, they even had actors going about and pretending like they were from that time period. _ I was on a large cliff that overlooked this city and there was a gleaming white tower next to the cliff that gave me the creeps. There was also a tall white circular wall that surrounded what I now guessed to be the Seireitei completely. Outside of this wall there were many villages that seemed to be less prosperous than the Seireitei and more rural.

"The other Captains will be here momentarily" Captain Kuchiki said without looking at me, "I notified them of our arrival just now. I suggest you show them more respect than you did to me, some of them will not be so forgiving if you forget their titles." As he finished speaking several blurs appeared and they left the wind whirling around me. I held my skirt down and cursed the existence of such unconventional clothing. Just as quickly as the blurs appeared they turned into actual people. All of them were wearing similar jackets but none of them looked exactly the same. One thing was for certain though, I could tell that they were all very powerful people, definitely all worthy of the positions they held. I scanned the crowd until I saw the only captain I knew, _Toshiro…_

The boy in question had finally grown a little taller, not much mind you, but he was now taller than me. His pure white hair was less spikey than before, now cut shorter, but he still had that one piece of hair hanging down into his face. He no longer looked like an elementary student, he looked like he could pass for fifteen back home. His large teal eyes were now a little less, for lack of a better description, round and childlike. Not that the emotions and intelligence they carried was childlike, just the shape. His features were becoming more defined, his jaw more chiseled (not that I was checking that out or anything) and his cheekbones as well. My heart fluttered a little and I turned my head to look at the other Captains with a faint blush dusting my cheeks.

"What is the meaning of this Byakuya?" An ancient-looking man with a long beard tied together with a leather string asked. His eyes were closed but the illusion didn't fool me, I knew he was observing everything that was going on. Goat Chin often acted the same way, that's how he always knew when I'd been hurt but didn't admit it.

"Kurosaki's younger sister has been showing signs of becoming too spiritually aware and powerful. She has apparently been going to Urahara's shop and buying what he calls anti-ghost supplies. I brought her here so we can figure out what to do with her," Captain Kuchiki said, not looking at me. Everyone turned to look at the old man and I crossed my arms and huffed in indignation. _I'm the one they're talking about, yet they act as if though I'm not even here? That's just rude, you'd think if they're as old as they seem to act like they are they'd have enough manners to not ignore me._

"I know," A hulking mass of man with black spikey hair that had bells at the tips and an eye patch over one eye said stepping forward grinning maniacally. My first instinct was to cringe then run away, "You could let me fight her. If she's really a Kurosaki, she should be fun to fight!"

"Or we could run a few experiments to discover the best course of action," A frightening man in a white mask and makeup said, with an even creepier grin. _That's it, I'm done being ignored._

"Excuse me?" I interjected, "I am right here, don't you think you could just ask me? I want to help you guys, but I don't want to become a Shinigami. I don't want to go through any processes at this point that I could possibly die from, I can't leave Yuzu all alone. She's already lost our mother and practically lost Ichigo since he spends so much time here, and I can't afford to run the risk of her losing me as well." I looked around the assorted captains and saw mixed reactions on their faces. Two captains, one in with a pink kimono on over his white jacket the other with long white hair, giving me sympathetic looks, while on the other side of the spectrum a young woman with two braids glaring at me. I couldn't help but look over at my friend that I hadn't seen in two years. He had no expression on his face, save for a small frown, which was something about him that hadn't changed.

"It's like I said earlier," A smiling man with blonde hair said, "We really don't want three Kurosaki's roaming around Soul Society and the World of the Living as Shinigami. I know, you're different personality wise," The man added hastily after I opened my mouth to protest, "But you're both powerful and leaking reiatsu like there's no tomorrow."

"Shinji has a point," A woman with long black hair tied into a braid in front of her body added quietly, giving me a small smile before turning to the others, "We can't force her to do something that could possibly kill her. What if we instead train her to control her reiatsu and send her back to have Urahara finish her training?"

"She already has control of her spiritual pressure unconsciously. I believe that in the report I gave to you Head Captain Yamamoto I told you this fact. If we can teach her some kido, she should be able to deal with minor Hollows she may stumble across and help heal any Shinigami who need help," Toshiro said, stepping forward. My jaw dropped a little but I pulled it back up right away. _Wait, so at least this Head Captain Yamamoto and Toshiro know about me. They could have already come up with a plan for me and 'd have never known about it!_

"I agree," The Head Captain said, "We can have Urahara and Yoruichi train her in the World of the Living so she won't miss school, but she gets the sufficient teaching. They can train her to control her reiatsu and how to use kido so that she can still help us in when needed. Captain Kurotsuchi, give her a soul pager so that she can know if her assistance is needed. Do you agree to this compromise Kurosaki Karin?" All eyes turned to me and I grinned broadly. _At least they found a way to make me happy. This way Ichigo won't have to worry about us at home, I'll be protecting my family, and helping those who keep us safer._

"Hell yeah!"

* * *

_Age Sixteen…_

The next time a Shinigami had come to visit me specifically, I was sixteen. I had left school a few minutes early because Goat Chin needed my help at the clinic, the school didn't mind since they were used to it. As I was walking down the street about two blocks away from my house, four guys came up to me.

"What do you want?" I asked with my expression blank… okay so I was scowling and sort of glaring at them, but they had it coming! The four of them looked like they came from a tough group, and I wasn't taking chances.

"So you're Kurosaki's sister, huh? I say we teach him a lesson by beating her up!" One of them said. I'm guessing it was the adrenaline pumping through my system, but I've never remembered what any of them look like. The others heartily agreed and the four of them advanced slowly. By this time I had been training with Yoruichi for about two years plus some help from Tatsuki every now and then, and they had taught me well. Yoruichi wanted to teach me shunpo, but couldn't because of my human body being a sort of limiter on my abilities. However to make up for it I'd been trained especially for speed and agility, along with strengthening both my kido and body.

"I'm not sure that such a good idea," I drawled and with angry shouts they ran at me. Quickly I kicked the first guy in the stomach, and then gave him a left hook to the jaw. He was down for the count, and then there were three. The second guy managed to land a blow to my stomach and I skidded back several feet and landed on my back. The three remaining guys stood over me and I took a deep breath. I swept out my feet and knocked down two of the guys who both smacked their heads on the ground then I jumped up. The third guy I punched in the nose and he was down as well.

"It might not be a good idea to get up again until I leave," I said looking at the four teenagers on the ground, then turned away but felt a hand on my wrist that pulled me back. I glanced back and saw that one of the guys was back up and tried to pull me towards him.

"Why don't we have a little fun, huh Kurosaki?" He said and I stiffened until I felt someone else in behind of me. The presence was familiar and comforting, someone I counted as an ally.

"I think," I deep voice that sent shivers down my spine said from right in front of me. I turned and saw Toshiro standing there without an expression on his face. His eyes however were hard with anger, "That she told you to stay down until she left. So stay down, now!" Toshiro snapped and the guy, being the spineless fool he was, dropped to the ground, "You," He turned back to me and grabbed my other wrist. His eyes were hard to read, but they glinted with anger and something else, "Are coming with me."

We had left the street and he had brought me to the spot on the hill by the railing. We were both leaning against the railing in silence, until I couldn't stand it anymore, "So why are you here Toshiro? I mean, not that I'm unhappy you're here, it's just kind of a surprise." I looked over and saw that he was staring at the sky and I checked to make sure that Goat Chin had gotten my message about not being able to make it home.

"I'd been told to come and see how your training has been going. What's the first thing I see when I come here? You being taken by surprise by a few weak humans and I had to intervene," Toshiro said, only turning to look at me at the end of his sentence.

"I was doing just fine!" I scowled at him and I must have been dreaming or something because his eyes softened a little.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly and my voice caught in my throat. His expression was hard to place somewhere between relief and dare I say happiness, but it made my heart skip and speed up and butterflies erupt in my stomach. All I could do was nod and we turned back to look back at the sky.

* * *

_Age Nineteen…_

I hadn't seen Toshiro since, although many of the other captains had all come along at some point, whether it was to check up on me or here fighting a Hollow. I was disappointed by the fact of which that the boy captain I had idolized as a kid and crushed on as a teenager hadn't come to see me yet. The crush hadn't gone away at all over time, and the old saying distance makes the heart grow fonder seemed to be true in my case. Sometimes I wondered if he had grown at all in the three years since I'd seen him. I daydreamed about Toshiro coming to see me occasionally, although this wasn't the time to be thinking of that.

Now I was running along the sleeping streets of Karakura Town in my sleeping shorts and tank top trying to hurry and get to the familiar but still unknown reiatsu. I kept a close eye on the fluctuating reiatsu of the fight and gasped when the familiar one exploded with power when I was only a block away. Obviously the Soul Society didn't want to joke around, they had sent a Captain to fight the Arrancar and whoever it was just released their limiter. I rushed around the corner and found myself at the park where my friends and I had played soccer against those middle school students so long ago. Now however, the place was a battlefield full of craters and trees that looked like they had been snapped like twigs.

There were two figures fighting in the air above me, and my heart stopped when I finally recognized who the captain was. His snowy hair and white haori glowed softly in the moonlight, the patches of blood on his uniform looking ominously darker than the rest. Even from a distance it was easy to see that he had still been growing, and now he looked about twenty-two or so. I remembered Rangiku telling me that he was almost done going through his growth spurt when she had come a few months ago. She had also teased me by telling me that Toshiro asked about me constantly, not something I quite believed even though I wanted to.

"BANKAI!" His deep voice rang through the air and his power exploded around him in the form of wings made of ice. I kept my eyes trained on the fight above me and noticed that the two of them were talking and looking at me. I don't know what Toshiro's opponent, said but he moved towards me slightly until Toshiro stopped him by dealing him a blow to the shoulder. They continued to fight until finally Toshiro was able to defeat the Arrancar by slicing through his chest. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and closed my eyes in relief.

"What are you doing here?" Toshiro asked and I jumped, opening my eyes. He was right in front of me, and boy did he look angry, "Do you know how hard I had to work just to keep him away from you? And that Arrancar was a former Espada, granted he was the Tenth Espada, but you still would have been no match for him. Then you show up here and it's ten times more difficult because you have so much damn reiatsu it attracts these guys like ants to honey! Not only do you have enough reiatsu to make Hollows drool, but the fact of which that you're a young woman in such skimpy clothing paired with the fact of which that you don't exactly look eleven anymore makes you a prime target for Arrancar like him. Some days it's a wonder why I have any interest in such an infuriating woman!" Toshiro hadn't raised his voice above its normal levels, but that made it more intimidating. With each word he stepped closer to me until he towered over me and was glowering down at me. I was looking up at him, wide eyed, but I gulped as I processed what he'd said. My heart was skipping again, just like last time we'd been this close to each other.

"Toshiro," I said, "I think you should sit down on a bench so I can check your wounds. I've got all of the supplies I need," I pulled Toshiro, which was no easy task, over to the bench and pushed him down. I checked his head for any cuts and made my way to his blood-spotted uniform, "Toshiro, I need to check your chest and wrap the cuts." Still silent, Toshiro took off his haori and the top of his uniform so I could check the wounds. I kneeled in front of the bench on one knee to get a better look in the pale moonlight. Most of the cuts were shallow, and I was so absorbed in my work and with not making mistakes I was oblivious to the torture I was putting on the man who was older than her looked.

"I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. It's just that if anything happened to you under my watch, anyone's watch really, your brother wouldn't let them live to see tomorrow. While I was fighting him, I had to use all of my strength just to keep him at the park and not go rushing to your clinic when your reiatsu spiked. He was saying some… inappropriate things about you and I just, got angry I guess. I honestly don't know what I'd do if you got hurt because of anything that had to do with me," Toshiro said, his voice was soft.

"It's okay, nothing happened," I said as I tried to go back to cleaning a particularly bad cut on his chest. He grabbed my hands and I looked up at his face which was closed off again, but his eyes weren't. His eyes were darker than usual, a dark teal almost blue, and I gulped at the whirlwind of emotions in them.

"That's not the point," He said and leaned down so that our faces were only inches apart I felt his breath on my face and felt my cheeks burn slightly, "The point is, I don't want you to get hurt. Hearing that Arrancar talk about you like nothing but a toy to play with, it upset me." I hadn't interacted with Toshiro very often, only enough to allow for me to get a feeling for his personality, and this seemed uncharacteristic. _I can't deal with this right now, it's one in the morning, I'm in my pajamas and I'm tired._ I stood up and Toshiro looked up at me.

"Y-you should be fine. There's really no need to bandage the cuts but you should keep an eye on them," I said avoiding eye contact and pulling my hands from Toshiro's grasp, "And if you ever get so beat up from a measly Arrancar again," I smiled then mock lectured him, "I won't be so nice to come and check your wounds so fast." I turned and grabbed my bag of supplies, running off and throwing a "Goodnight!" over my shoulder. I had only made it a block when Toshiro appeared in front of me_ damn shunpo!_

"What was that about?" He asked. I shrugged and tried to look as nonchalant as possible.

"I wanted to go to bed, is that a problem?" I asked and I saw a vein in Toshiro's forehead pop out slightly. Between his lieutenant and us two eldest Kurosaki kids, I swear he's going to burst a blood vessel.

"How much more clearly do I have to explain things to you?" Toshiro asked and he kept walking towards me. There were two parts of me fighting right now, the Kurosaki genes were saying to not back down, that's not how a Kurosaki acts, but the female part of me (who knew?) wanted to melt into a puddle due to the expression on Toshiro's face. His eyes were still dark as he advanced but I still stood tall, although to give relief to my shaky legs I leaned up against the wall.

"I don't know, draw the details like Rukia does for Ichigo?" I asked sarcastically. Toshiro kept coming until he towered over me again. Our chests were pressed together and I felt smothered by Toshiro's presence, but it was a good smothered.

"I like you," Toshiro said simply, "And you like me."

"That's quite an assumption you're making there Captain Shortstuff," I replied, even though I could tell my thudding heart was giving me away. Toshiro just leaned down until our noses were touching and once again I was blown away with how much sharper his features were than when we first met. I felt his breath fan over my face and I tried to keep my legs from giving out.

"It can't be an assumption if I already know," Toshiro said. The next thing I knew his lips were on mine and my eyes drifted shut. The moment our lips were pressed against one another I felt a heat sparked in my body. It spread until my entire being felt like it was on fire, and the cool press of Toshiro's lips was the only thing keeping me from melting. That was ironic seeing as how I'm fairly certain they were also the cause of it. I felt Toshiro rest his hands on my hips and I wound my arms around his neck. Whatever my reaction was to the kiss, my first kiss I might add, it was chaste and sweet, not meant to lead up to anything else. Finally we broke apart and I leaned my head on his chest as he pulled me into a hug.

"Karin Kurosaki, would it be wrong of me to say that I can't wait until you die?" Toshiro asked me after a few seconds.

"Yes!" I said and punched him softly on the shoulder. _Although I wouldn't mind too much as long as I could come and visit Yuzu a lot._

* * *

**A/N: This has been edited! I'd like to remind everyone that it is quite polite (it rhymes!) to review, and please enjoy the next chapter as well!**

**Charlotte-san**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**V**


	2. Toshiro's Point of View

**In case you forgot, this is in Toshiro's POV, and since I'm a girl (in case you haven't figured that out yet) it has been SO difficult thinking like a "dude," regardless of whether or not he's actually possibly over 100 years old but acts like a teenager, who is stoic as all get out and just plain respectable. The ages will be going by Karin's ages as it would be mostly speculation… Without further ado, the second chapter of "The Teenage Years of Karin Kurosaki." **

**March 18, 2013: Edited this chapter! Some stuff added, but nothing major.**

**Disclaimer- I own nothing, NOTHING!**

_Toshiro's thoughts_

_Hyorinmaru_

* * *

_Age Nineteen_

I was at the office late finishing up the last of my, what I like to call, "scheduled" paperwork for the week. Thankfully it was only Tuesday, so the only other paperwork I'd have to do was if anything was destroyed. Off in the direction of the Eleventh Squad I heard a yell, a crash and I sighed. Well it looks like I won't be able to just train with Hyorinmaru this week like I'd planned. It wouldn't be a normal week if I didn't have bureaucratic crap to sign. As I worked my mmind wandered, first to my granny and Momo, then to Karin of all people. It had been a while since I'd seen her, but Matsumoto always visited in my place.

I wasn't oblivious to people's feelings, or mine for that matter, so when I had overreacted the last time I saw Karin, I knew I was harboring some sort of feelings for her. The plain and simple fact that human-Shinigami relationships could be called into question when it came to the Kurosaki family had a lot to do with what I was planning and replanning for the future.

_Which is why I believe you should tell Karin of your feelings._

There was a loud commotion right outside my office door as I was about to reply, before it slammed open to reveal a panting and surprisingly sober Matsumoto,"Former Espada in Karakura," She looked at me seriously, "Head Captain wants you to go, your limiter will be set when you get there but you can turn it off at any point when you need it. Do you-"

"No," I stood up quickly and grabbed Hyorinmaru off of the stand. Before Matsumoto could stop me I was opening a gate to the World of the Living and telling her over my shoulder, "I don't want the both of us to get injured."

"Don't forget to say hi to Karin for me!" Matsumoto suddenly smiled.

I used shunpo to get through the tunnel quickly and found myself above a park, one that looked oddly familiar in the glow of the moonlight. A short ways away I saw the former 10th Espada Yammy surveying the sleeping city around him. He finally turned my way and grinned maniacally, cracking his knuckles in preparation for the inevitable fight.

"So they sent a child after me, huh? The Gotei Thirteen must be getting cocky in the time after Aizen's death," Yammy's deep voice was already laced by bloodlust reminding me that if I failed in my mission a countless number of innocent souls would be consumed by the Arrancar. I pulled out Hyorinmaru and got into a fighting stance. I searched around for nearby reiatsu's and luckily there were none nearby, even the Kurosaki household in the distance was all quiet. Suddenly, and quite ironically, I felt a reiatsu as familiar to me as Matsumoto's spike and Yammy's head snapped in its direction.

"Karin," I ground my teeth. Honestly between her, Ichigo and Matsumoto I was going to get wrinkles to match my white hair much sooner than I'd like. Just as suddenly as the reiatsu spiked it went back down and I could see Yammy trying to pinpoint exactly where she was. I knew I had to distract him, "Ready to abandon the fight so soon Yammy? That must be how you've survived all of this time without being caught." My words had the intended effect and Yammy's head whipped back to my direction with another maniac grin in place.

"No, but I'm going to be hungry once I beat you, and that soul seems like an easy first course. Or maybe I'll eat before fighting," Yammy mused and I tensed. He saw my movement and threw his head back in laughter, "Oh, hit a soft spot there have I? Well then let's get this over with!" Without a word of warning Yammy threw himself at me and I prepared myself for the fight. I knew once I was blown back by Yammy's first hit that I'd need to release my limiter soon. I retaliated with a slice from my sword and was barely able to scratch him. _I hope that Karin stays the hell away from here, because she'd be a damn nuisance to try and protect while fighting this guy. How is it that this girl, an annoying human girl, has managed to show up in my life so much. Not only did she manage getting me to play soccer for her team, but then she came with me to see Granny Haru, and as far as I know is still visiting her. She is nothing but trouble for me._

_You say that, but you don't want her to get hurt. You care for the small human child, and I have to admit that I approve of her__._ It seems that Hyorinmaru finally decided to open his mouth for some unessesary and unwanted input.

_Shut up._

* * *

_Age Thirteen…_

It was the day that I dreaded the most every month: our status report meeting on how things were in the World of the Living. These meetings had been barely tolerable before the arrival of Ichigo Kurosaki, but now that he was present for all, I mean _all,_ of these meetings they were completely unbearable. We were forced to put up with his constant bickering with just about anyone, particularly Captain Kuchiki and Captain Zaraki, plus his disregard of our titles as captains and lieutenants.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, what are your plans for the future? I have put off asking you this long, but you are nearing your graduation," Head Captain Yamamoto looked from his position at the head of the meeting room to Ichigo who was at the other end. The seventeen-year-old in question scratched the back of his neck uneasily as his expressions changed while he tried to word his response. _Why does it seem like he hasn't thought about this at all? You'd think he'd have at least had some thoughts on what he'd like to do after high school. While he may not be like most normal teenagers I doubt he's excited to come straight here and get to work in a squad._ Matsumoto nudged me with a permanently flirty smirk on her face and I shook myself to pay better attention to Kurosaki.

"I need to take responsibility for my actions. While I would have preferred to live a normal life, the minute I found out I could see spirits it wasn't a matter of if I'd be sucked into this world, but when and how. Now is as good of a time for me to come and work here as any other. However," He glanced around the room at those of us assembled and locked eyes with me momentarily before looking back at the Head Captain, "I want to be able to freely visit my family and friends, within reason of course. I'm only seventeen right now, and I can't stand the thought of my sisters only being able to see me every once in a great while. We've already lost my mother to a Hollow, her soul was devoured so there's no chance we'd ever be able to see her again and I don't want them to go through something like that again."

_I remember hearing about that. I also recall Ichigo telling me not to put Karin in danger, that she'd already been hurt enough. I suppose that's why she refused to cry at the soccer game, even though her teammates would have been bawling their eyes out. It's been a while since I last saw Karin, and when I did see her last she was already powerful enough to take out small Hollows with a simple kick. I wonder what she could do now?_

There were murmurs around the room about Kurosaki's odd request until Kyoraku asked something that had been in all of our minds to some degree, "And how are your sisters Kurosaki? I recall seeing one of them briefly the last time that my lovely Nanao-chan and I- ow! - were in the World of the Living. She's a feisty little thing, beating up a boy twice her size for picking on a new kid in her class. Definitely someone I want to know."

"What do you want to know about my sisters?" Kurosaki snapped, unusually on edge. His posture was stiff and his brown eyes guarded. Rukia put her hand on his and he glanced down at her before clearing his throat, "I mean, why are they important?"

"If they are becoming spiritually powerful like you, then we need to set up preparations immediately. We-" Ichigo cut off the Head Captain.

"They will not have anything to do with being substitute Shinigami like I was, not if I have anything to do with it," Ichigo's eyes were hard and his hands were balled into fists at his side, "I don't care if they have contact with the Seireitei, but I will not allow for them to go through the things I have." Soi Fon gave a contemptuous sniff in Kurosaki's direction while Byakuya actually looked somewhat impressed with Ichigo's protective instincts over his sisters.

"Very well, you will go to the World of the Living with Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai for the next few hours for Hollow elimination and routine konso while we choose a course of action. Captain Kuchiki will observe your sister during that time," The Head Captain kit his cane on the ground and the three men left the meeting hall, Ichigo still looking like he wanted to argue. Once they were out of the room, we all turned back to the Head Captain.

"Sir, with all due respect do you really believe that it's a good idea to have three Kurosaki's, if not four, roaming between the here and the World of the Living?" Shinji frowned uncertainly and a few others nodded their heads in agreement. Before the Head Captain could reply however, I felt Byakuya return already and let go of his normally unshakable reiatsu and my eyes widened when I recognized the reiatsu of the person with him.

_She's gotten stronger, much, much stronger. This is going to be an interesting development for the future._

I nodded my head and silently agreed with Hyorinmaru before I shunpoed after the other captains, the lieutenants staying behind until they were summoned. They were on the cliff in the center of the Seireitei and Karin stood looking irritated at her skirt which was attempting to fly up due to the wind that came from our quick arrival.

I took a moment to Look at her, and really look at her. In the past few months she'd developed even more than the last time I had seen her. Her chest, I noticed with a new pinkness to my ears that I could feel burning, had gotten quite larger along with her hips. She now had a lean, but very noticeable, hourglass figure and her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she met my eyes. I looked at Byakuya as he spoke, trying not to let my gaze turn towards Karin unless she spoke, which was surprisingly more difficult than I had imagined.

* * *

_Age Sixteen…_

"But Captaaiin, why do you have to go?" Matsumoto whined as I finished the last piece of paperwork for the day. My eyebrow twitched and I felt a vein pulse in my forehead so I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"I have no choice in the matter Matsumoto, it's my turn to go and check on Karin. You'll be fine being in charge for a few hours, besides if you get too bored you can always do some paperwork. Now I have to go, Captain Ukitake wanted to see me before I left, so I have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow Matsumoto."

"You just want an excuse to go and see the girl you love," Matsumoto pouted. The pout however, soon turned into a sly smile, "I'm so proud of you! My Captain is finally becoming a man and confessing to the woman he loves!"

"I'd suggest that if you don't want to be frozen to your desk while I'm gone you forget that you just said that and whatever else you're thinking now," Matsumoto had stars in her eyes as I turned and left the room before she could reply or decide to give me a goodbye, what'd she call it again, glomp. The walk to the Thirteenth Squad went by quickly and I was soon seated at a table with Ukitake, sipping tea.

"I was just hoping you could give some of this candy to Karin-chan, it's been a while since I last saw her and I wanted to thank her for her last visit with me," Ukitake smiled softly at me as he sipped his tea. Kyoraku walked into the room and sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea without bothering to ask.

"That's no problem, I'm sure Karin would love to get candy from you," I nodded and finished my tea. I was about to stand up and leave when I heard Kyoraku chuckling, "What's so funny?"

"I see you and Karin-chan are on such great terms already. You didn't even use an honorific!" I stiffened and mentally cursed myself for slipping up. In response I simply glared at the older captain before I left the room. To me Karin had always been Karin, not Kurosaki or Karin-chan. It was just her laid-back style that allowed my to do so, and that let her get away with calling me Toshiro. I opened a gate to the World of the Living and immediately set to work looking for Karin. I followed the trail of her reiatsu until I was able to track her to an alleyway. I frowned to myself, and as I rounded the corner I saw some guy grabbing Karin by the wrist.

"Why don't we have a little fun, huh Kurosaki?" The guy smirked and I felt myself move before I could process what I was doing. I felt my blood boiling in rage that someone would even_ dare_ try and hurt Karin, while another part of me was having a minor heart attack at the thought the she could have gotten seriously injured.

"I believe," I said, wiping my face clean of emotion but leaving the anger burning in my eyes, "That she told you to stay down until she left. So stay down!" I snapped at the punk and he dropped to the ground, possibly fainting. I turned my attention to Karin and scowled at her, "You are coming with me." I grabbed her wrist and pulled her along behind me. We walked to the railing on the hill to delay the inevitable confrontation and I leaned against it, trying to calm myself down so I wouldn't snap at her.

_Maybe you want to so that you can finally show her what you won't even admit to yourself. You like her, plain and simple. That's why you're pissed that she almost got hurt and you know it._

_I don't remember asking your opinion._ I growled at Hyorinmaru who simply rumbled in laughter and I clenched my jaw. _Everyone is giving me crap about this. Matsumoto constantly does whenever I ask how things are in the World of the Living. She makes plenty of trips there, so is it really so bad that I want to know how one of the very few humans I interact with (I can count on one hand the humans I talk to when I go there) is doing?_

"So why are you here Toshiro? I mean, not that I'm unhappy you're here, it's just kind of a surprise." I glanced at Karin out of the corner of my eye and saw her checking her phone. I felt that pesky vein pulse again at how she was treating this so, so

_Nonchalantly?_

_Shut up Hyorinmaru! It's summer, you're an ice dragon, shouldn't you be busy doing something else like trying to stay cold?_ I felt him rumble in laughter again before he retreated to a cooler part of my inner world. I took a deep breath before I answered her, "I'd been told to come and see how your training has been going. What's the first thing I see when I come here? You being taken by surprise by a few weak humans and I had to intervene," I finally turned to face her fully and wasn't surprised to see her scowling at me.

"I was doing just fine!" She seethed back and I forced myself to relax a little. I felt my eyes soften as I checked her over to make sure she was alright.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, and I must have startled her because all she could do was nod. A light dusting of pink settled on her cheeks and I looked back at the sky, enjoying the peace I felt with the middle Kurosaki.

* * *

_Age Nineteen, back to the fight…_

I panted as we eyed each other during a lull in our attacks. I had managed to remain mostly unscathed, with only a few shallow cuts here and there, the most worrisome of them was one on my chest, but a visit to the Fourth should solve that issue once I get back to the Seireitei. Yammy grinned and looked off a few blocks, and I stiffened once I realized the cause of his distraction. I looked back at Yammy and ground my teeth, "I've been going too easy on you." I released my limiter and felt my reiatsu skyrocket immediately, "BANKAI!" I launched myself at an unsuspecting Yammy who attacked back with the same amount of vigor. As I was just starting to pressure him, he stopped and moved towards the ground a few feet.

"I see my meal has come to me, I do enjoy delivery," Yammy licked his lips as Karin ran into the park, her chest heaving up and down. I had to admit, I was shocked still for a moment until I saw Yammy starting to move closer once again, "Hm, this one's kinda cute. I might wanna have some fun with her before I eat her spirit, if you catch my drift. Those clothes don't leave much to the imagination, but what it does," Yammy moved even closer to Karin and I forced myself not to lose my cool.

I attacked Yammy while he was distracted and was able to cut him seriously on the shoulder. We continued to exchange blows while Yammy tested my patience, "So you have a thing for that human huh? I might have to treat her _extra special_ for you. She looks like she'll be fun, I really enjoy breaking the feisty ones. By the time I get done with her, she'll be begging me to kill her, and since she'd have done such a kind favor for me, I might just have to do what she wants me to."

"You won't get a chance you bastard," I snarled. I used the last of my energy and reiatsu to attack Yammy and slice him in half. As he disintegrated I felt some of the tension in my shoulder alleviate, that is until I looked down and saw Karin just standing in the park. She was in a tank top and sleep shorts, not only that, but she had come when she was perfectly aware that I was in a fight with a former Espada and wouldn't be able to help if someone attacked her!

_You seem really worried about her. Just don't go too crazy when you reprimand her._

I used shunpo to get down on the ground in front of Karin, "What are you doing here? Do you know how hard I had to work just to keep him away from you? And that Arrancar was a former Espada, granted he was the Tenth Espada, but you still would have been no match for him. Then you show up here and it's ten times more difficult because you have so much damn reiatsu it attracts these guys like ants to honey! Not only do you have enough reiatsu to make Hollows drool, but the fact of which that you're a young woman in such skimpy clothing paired with the fact of which that you don't exactly look eleven anymore makes you a prime target for Arrancar like him. Some days it's a wonder why I have any interest in such an infuriating woman!" Karin jumped and opened her eyes wide, allowing me to see the full force of her now adult face. I saw her gulp and I kept stepping towards her as I talked.

"Toshiro," she said, "I think you should sit down on a bench so I can check your wounds. I've got all of the supplies I need," She pulled me over to the nearest bench and I sat down. I took a deep breath to calm myself as she checked my head for any wounds, but couldn't help the pink coloring of my ears as she knelt down in front of me. I gulped slightly and tried to focus on everything but how she looked kneeling down there, "Toshiro, I need to check your chest and wrap the cuts." I complied and took off my haori and the top of my uniform and thought of other things while her warm hands moved against my chest.

"I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. It's just that if anything happened to you under my watch, anyone's watch really, your brother wouldn't let them live to see tomorrow. While I was fighting him, I had to use all of my strength just to keep him at the park and not go rushing to your clinic when your reiatsu spiked. He was saying some… inappropriate things about you and I just, got angry I guess. I honestly don't know what I'd do if you got hurt because of anything that had to do with me," I spoke softly so I wouldn't startle her too much then sighed.

"It's okay, nothing happened," She replied and I grabbed her hands. I kept my face blank, but I'm certain she could see the pain, anger and need in my eyes.

"That's not the point," I leaned down until our faces were only inches apart, "The point is, I don't want you to get hurt. Hearing that Arrancar talk about you like nothing but a toy to play with, it upset me." I could see the conflict in her eyes and I knew that she was going to run, if not right now then very soon.

"Y-you should be fine. There's really no need to bandage the cuts but you should keep an eye on them," She said avoiding eye contact and tugging her hands out of mine, "And if you ever get so beat up from a measly Arrancar again I won't be so nice to come and check your wounds so fast." She smiled up at me but avoided my eyes. Suddenly she ran off with a hasty goodbye.

"Dammit Karin!" I got up and shunpoed after her. _Don't lose this one Toshiro, she's special._ She was only a block away when I caught her and I stopped in front of her, "What was that about?" I demanded and growled a little when her only reply was a shrug.

"I wanted to go to bed, is that a problem?" She asked and I felt that particular vein in my forehead pop out slightly. I really am going to burst that blood vessel one of these days.

"How much more clearly do I have to explain things to you?" I asked and stalked towards her. I could tell that she was between her fight or flight instinct, but I wouldn't let her run away again this time. She backed into a wall and I kept advancing.

"I don't know, draw the details like Rukia does for Ichigo?" She replied sarcastically and I towered over her. _The straight forward approach is always the best with her_.

"I like you," I said simply, "And you like me."

"That's quite an assumption you're making there Captain Shortstuff," She replied, even though I could feel her heart pounding against her chest, giving her away. I leaned down until our noses were almost touching and saw the pink tones on her cheeks make a reappearance.

"It can't be an assumption if I already know," I said. I closed the distance, momentarily feeling her breath on my face before I pressed my lips against hers. The kiss was better than I could have imagined it, her lips soft and tasting distinctly of the candy Ukitake likes to give her. After I pulled away I took a moment to gather my thoughts before I had to ask her an important question.

"Karin Kurosaki, would it be wrong of me to say that I can't wait until you die?"

"Yes!" She punched me on my already tender shoulder, but I smiled. I was willing to wait for her, no matter what happened.

* * *

**Okay, so it's been quite a while since the first chapter of this story was posted… and I'm sorry! I have been so busy between school, my extracurricular activities and some family issues that it's taken a while to get this chapter written. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed or favorite this story, and I hope this part is just a well received. I'm SO sorry it took so long to write this, but in return I made it really long and I edited the first chapter (wow, it was kind of sloppy!). So as per usual review, I'd like to hear ANY feed back!**

**Later,**

**Charlotte-san**


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